


We'll always have Kadara

by kinpika



Series: time, and time again [1]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Spoilers, short look at a relationship after meridian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 22:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10886427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinpika/pseuds/kinpika
Summary: Responsibility sucks when you’re the Pathfinder and he’s the Charlatan.





	We'll always have Kadara

Ariel never knew there wouldn’t be a chance to breathe, the moment her feet settled on the surface of Meridian.

It wasn’t the rush, the have to meet the final point, the _go go go_ and voices at her ear, shouting and cawing each time a kett fell. It was long after that part, that specific point in her life, after a few weeks of recovery and medication and _SAM is now online, again, Pathfinder_. The first time in a long time where she had felt safe and comfortable, reminded of the Milky Way and home. 

Those few weeks of lying down were the best, and she felt no need to hide that remark from anyone. Up until then, Ariel didn’t remember the last time she had simply been horizontal and stayed that way outside of induced comas and four pills before passing out on the Tempest. Maybe the last time had been a nap in the back of the Nomad. Or huddling in the cold of Voeld, or maybe even that abandoned building on Kadara. No, it had definitely been an hour on Eos, or better yet those thirty minutes on Havarl. No rest on Elaaden, ever. _Go go, Ariel, keep moving, keep going_.

And then, silence. Breaking free of the Hyperion (crash landed, horizontal, just how she wanted to be), and the _talking._ So many people at her, chatting and looking and seeing Ariel no longer. Seeing the Pathfinder finally. Ariel didn’t have to correct people anymore. They even name a planet after her. They look to her now — _properly_ for once — and expect her to find a path they had not set out on yet.

Breathe, Ariel, she tells herself, staring out over the great sea of stars, ignoring emails and responsibility and the way her body just begs her to sleep. Right now, on the bridge. Just do it.

She sets a course, still not really catching her breath (but when had she ever, really?)

 

 

For one thing, Reyes knew this would happen. Actually, Reyes knew a lot of things would happen, but this especially. 

Ariel curled up at his side, head on his thigh, impervious to the sounds of Tartarus below. She simply snoozes away while he dealt with emails, datapads, horrible paperwork he honestly would’ve passed off had it not been an excuse to simply _sit_. Contrary to what Ariel teased him about endlessly (always finding him in the same spot no matter the time of day), he did move. Work. Never a dull moment, not even now. 

Especially not even now. 

At her behest to drink more water, Reyes can hear her voice as his lips touch the glass, all nonchalant and full of humbleness. Casually mentioning once more that she had fixed the water system, and now he had no excuse to avoid what was once just a small percentage off pure sulphur — oh, the things he did for love.

Hand in her hair, Reyes had forgone his standard gloves just to be able to twist locks through his fingers. Ariel had changed her shampoo, and Reyes smiled at that fact. Amazing what he could find in crates when he wasn’t looking for anything in particular. At least it wasn’t that horrible military shit anymore. 

Fingers reach her ears, running over slight bumps that suggested piercings once upon a time (something new to add to the list of things he was learning about Ariel). Reyes knows this is what will wake her up, and not that he didn’t enjoy her company, his leg was far more asleep than it should’ve been, and his omni-tool lights up to remind him of a late meeting. Nothing wanted to give him an honest moment of reprieve, but maybe, just maybe, it was worth it to watch her push herself up with a grumble and a yawn. Fists rubbing at her eyes and a sloppy kiss to his cheek. 

“Good morning,” she says, voice thick and slow. 

Reyes can’t help the slow sort of smile that slips onto his face, and after pressing lips to her forehead, if only to encourage her not to fall asleep once more, he replies with a “good evening.”

 

 

Was it easier when she was trying to prove herself? To prove that she could fill the shoes left behind by a father who was even more distant than the space between Andromeda and the Milky Way. And _she_ was supposed to be closer to him than Scott could ever hope to be. At least, that’s what Scott would say, in times when they both managed to sink into some sort of spite and aggression. Mostly only occurred when Scott had been sent to find her, dragging her back to the Tempest when it was time to go.

“I’m not a lapdog,” he had muttered the first time, finding Ariel holed up in the Pathfinder’s Lounge, staring blankly at Alec Ryder’s N7 helmet (cracked, open, _a_ _reminder_ ). Another moment of ‘what would dad do?’, and perhaps Scott was not the best person to ask, if the look on his face had been anything to go by. Like he’d been slapped, and Ariel always knew that he was mum’s favourite, especially since his face twisted how Ellen’s would when she was just as pissed off. 

Ariel had a witty remark at the ready, but didn’t say it then. Not sure if she could spit it out now. So she had just walked behind Scott, three steps behind exactly, waving to Raeka and Avitus and Vederia. She’d be back later, next time they had to dock. First time in a long time the four of them had even been in the same room, but that was beside the point ( _always_ beside the point).

The turians needed a new homeworld, since the Scourge warped the shit outta H-074c. So did the salarians and asari, of course, that went without saying. But, well, none of the prospective ones had been blown up to a radioactive crater in the middle of nowhere in particular. Ariel was helping them all, of course, whenever they rang. Running back and forth, although now it felt like it was happening more than it had during the rush to Meridian. At least, for the moment, there was no need to return to Eos.

 _Need help on Havarl. Found some signal on Elaaden._ Yessir, be there soon. No sir, nothing else to do for today. Tann even had the brilliant idea of going to some of the other, smaller systems, trying to set foot on those worlds too. Progression, he called it. Waste of fuel, Vetra had muttered aside, once the vidcomm channel had been closed. Cora meanwhile chiming in with her agreements, and a sigh from Peebee, following not long after. 

Tann says something like: “Jien Garson would’ve wanted this,” as if that should encourage them to not be irritated by following a pointed finger. Ariel has to bite back about Jien Garson probably wanted to live, more than anything, but she takes the files, SAM plots the course, they’re back online.

 

 

Reyes doesn’t see or hear from her in several months. Not that it is unusual to hear nothing, even though contacts in other outposts report the time the Tempest arrives and leaves. Deliveries sent and received. Generated thank you from automatic systems, maybe SAM if Reyes is lucky enough, accompanied with a tired ‘thank you’ from Ariel herself. She loves the flowers, the small flask and the array of soaps Reyes had scrounged up.

(He personally finds how thankful she is when, one private channel later, he receives photos and an accompanying video. Ariel Ryder was definitely far more adventurous than Reyes ever gave her credit for, and he’d never gleefully regretted a thought so earnestly)

Of course he worries though, but Reyes knows better. Having spent more than enough time in the company of Ariel, her biotics and a stellar array of weapons, how she handles herself is the least of his problems. It’s not even the distance between them that has him concerned. Reyes isn’t above saying that the space is probably good for the both of them, literally and figuratively. 

No, what he worries about is the occasional report he gets from the ship’s doctor. Not legally obtained of course, but Ariel once joked that SAM had a crush on Reyes too. SAM had the slightest tendency to reveal any overarching worries from the good doctor (low iron, two hours sleep noted once again, slight tendency to be found in Vetra’s space specifically, eats a lot of cereal).

Her time spent in ports full of Initiative members was getting less and less. Reyes heard through the lines they were looking at other planets to settle outside the ‘Golden Worlds’. Angarans were even joining in, reclaiming worlds and finding resources. Keema was particularly interested in sending Collective members along, when word came out that there were settlements found on some planets. Reyes does his part, as a member of the Collective, flying ships out to follow a path paved by their icon, taking shipments from Kadara to their newfound friends and colleagues. 

Reyes knew it was only a matter of time before they considered leaving Heleus. He taps the controls on the ship he managed to flog from the Nexus in the middle of the Uprising. The last time he’d managed to take her out was during the assault on the kett. Releasing a rush of air, Reyes slowly lowers the nose of the ship, and heads towards the surface of what the _Charlatan_ had decided to be a new post of operation.

 

 

“‘ _Meet me in Tartarus_ ’?”

“Reyes marked the email as urgent.”

A pause, and Ariel notes the over familiarity of SAM’s tone. Strange, for an AI definitely, but most people attributed it to being in her head for so long. “… Remember when you used to just call him Mr Vidal, SAM?” That time seemed so long ago, but it never failed to make her smile.

And SAM, ever evolving, remarked back with something just as smarmy as what should say on a regular basis: “Ariel, may I remind you that you call him Mr Vidal sometimes when you—”

“SAM!”

 

 

His apartment, overlooking the new development of the Port. His shirt, post shower, post nap. Reyes is over in the makeshift kitchen, a stovetop he had rigged together himself to cook something halfway decent. Whilst his mother may have been rolling over in her grave at what he put together, Ariel sits up in bed and happily accepts the plate of food, fork in hand, digging in without any hesitation. 

Reyes sits next to her, plate in his own lap, and lets his head fall on her shoulder. “How long until you visit again?”

Ariel speaks around a mouthful, reaching for a glass of water in between forkfuls. “Dunno,” finally, she sets everything down, staring off at a spot on the wall. “Tann says something about settling at least one planet in each system. _At least_.” Something to her tone suggested a ‘do not pry’, and Reyes could only wonder what sort of arguments had been happening back on the Nexus. All the drama he had been missing since he turned down a return trip about a month ago. 

Clicking his tongue, Reyes finally takes a bite of his own meal. He definitely needed more practice. “Eos took well over a year to even consider habitable enough for _children_.” That was the truth of it. Reyes was aware of the programs put in place to remove blockers, and had quite a few thoughts of his own about that — yet that was a conversation for another time, far in the future. “Already have eyes on places beyond that. Dangerously confident of the good Director.”

But for now, he gets a very sardonic “tell me about it,” from Ariel, and he can hear the eye roll in her voice.

After a pause, Ariel having inhaled her meal, plate now stationed to the left, she tilts her head to rest it on his. “You visited one of our new settlements.” So she _was_ keeping tabs on him. That was oddly adorable to think about.

“That I did.”

“Collective business?”

“Collective business.”

There’s no negativity in her slight laugh, as she eventually pushes herself up, collecting their plates and glasses, feet taking her towards the kitchen. Reyes leans back, head rolling back and forth as bones click, joints pop. Far too long bent over his omni-tool, trying to get this one person to agree to trade. Evfra himself had personally requested the badgering, which spoke volumes of how important this particular person was to all of their interests. Business as usual, Reyes closing his eyes for just a moment to open them to his shirt riding up over Ariel's behind as she stretched. Very intentional, and definitely on purpose. Reyes Vidal was quite a strong man, but Ariel seemed to find every button to push, and some he wasn’t quite aware of.

Despite the way Ariel walks back over, all curved lips and swinging hips, Reyes has to grin at the way she stumbles a little. His favourite part about her was when she was clumsily seductive, exactly like this. Taking his outstretched hand, clambering onto the bed with her knees either side of his thighs, she lets out an ‘oof’, and settles back. Hands in his hair, running through the strands as her lips met his forehead. 

“Reyes?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I have about an hour until I need to get back, I think.” Just enough time for her to catch her breath, and there's no bunching up of muscles as she considers returning to reality so soon. Ah, Kadara, the home away from home. Maybe they should consider that an advertisement for the place, when it started to look less like a back alley on Omega and a little more civilised. 

“Sixty-nine minutes exactly, Pathfinder,” SAM chimes in, to a snort of laughter from the both of them.

With a wiggle of his eyebrows, Reyes turns on Ariel, hands cupping her behind just for emphasis. “Well, if that isn’t a sign…”

She honestly giggles as he pulls her down onto the mattress, peppering her face with kisses, lifting his shirt off of her. Ariel Ryder is ticklish, the head thrown back in laughter kind of ticklish, and Reyes finds her throat, making very good friends with a spot just above her jugular. 

 

 

“Send me a message when you decide to drop by next.”

“Shame I can’t convince you for even a trip around orbit for a while.”

Reyes laughs, a hand pushing his fringe out of his eyes. Fairly certain that underneath her jacket was his shirt, freshly smuggled out of his laundry, he felt no need to say anything. After all, a pair of her track pants had made themselves very much at home on his floor, and the hairbrush in what constituted as a bathroom was certainly not his. 

“As much as I would love to join you aboard that fancy ship of yours… I doubt your crew would be as welcoming.”

“They’ll get over it.” Ariel pauses, and with a shrug adds in an “eventually.”

“Perhaps. And yet,” Reyes pulls her in, hands on waist, hips just shy of being flush, “not having the approval definitely is just as exciting.”

Her turn to laugh as she slings her arms around his neck, terrifically loose, fingers slipping under the collar of his shirt. “Maybe you’re just going to have to be a knight in shining armour and save me from some catastrophe.”

“Why, Ariel, we both know if either of us is going to be the knight, it would be _you_.”

“Prepared to play damsel for me, Mr Vidal?”

“Of course, my dear, sweet knight.” And he kisses her wholly, fully, carefully. Hand cupping the back of her head, keeping her close, melting in to the touch of her against his waist, how her fingers slip up the hem, along the skin. Brushing over tattoos from a lifetime ago, a galaxy ago, and it takes everything to let her pull away from him. Until next time.

 

 

_> > Miss you already. Stay safe. Enjoy the parcel. _

_> miss you too… love the soaps. [one attachment: hand outstretched in shower, soap in hand]_

**Author's Note:**

> i forgot to add notes...  
> edit: after consideration i changed from 'sara' to 'ariel' bc i've already done this with my other reyder fics so w/e yolo ig
> 
> [tumblr link](http://hotlineaisui.tumblr.com/post/160584472745/well-always-have-kadara)


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